‘Bihan’ turns women’s leadership struggles, choices and aspirations into film

Dhaka, 13 August 2026: The everyday, often invisible barriers that hold women back from leadership are being brought to the screen in Bihan (The Beginning), a new fiction film produced by Oxfam in Bangladesh on the concept of its ‘Rise & Lead’ initiative.

Directed by Hemanta Sadeeq and starring Dilruba Hossain Doyel and Nishat Priom in the central roles, the film tells the stories of two working women whose professional ambitions are shaped by expectations around behaviour, care responsibilities, confidence and power.

At the centre of Bihan are Shiuli and Rakhi, two women navigating the pressures, expectations and invisible barriers that shape women’s professional lives. Through their journeys, the film explores how social conditioning, care responsibilities, workplace realities and self-doubt can influence women’s choices, and what can happen when they begin to recognise their own voice, agency and leadership potential.
 

Hemanta Sadeeq, Director of Bihan, said, "We intentionally moved away from framing empowerment through grand speeches or dramatic cinematic turns. The power of Bihan lies in its focus on every day, subtle friction—because that is precisely where the real barriers to leadership exist. I believe authentic leadership doesn't always demand an extraordinary catalyst; often, it begins with the quiet realization of one's own voice."

That philosophy also shapes the visual language of the film. Its creative treatment emphasizes naturalistic performances, familiar middle-class urban settings, and subtle behavioral change rather than theatrical transformation. Mirrors and reflections recur as motifs of self-discovery, while the final image of a green traffic signal suggests movement, possibility and the beginning of a new journey.

Dilruba Hossain Doyel said, "What attracted me to the story is how recognizable these women are. They are capable and responsible, yet they are constantly negotiating expectations at work, at home and within themselves. Bihan is about that moment when a woman begins to see her own strength differently. I encourage everyone to watch the film.”

The film is the latest public-facing element of Rise & Lead, Oxfam’s initiative to advance women’s leadership by addressing barriers at individual, community, workplace and structural levels.

Mahmuda Sultana, Programme Director, Oxfam in Bangladesh, said, "Women's leadership cannot depend only on asking women to become more confident or ambitious. Institutions, workplaces and families must also change. We need systems that recognize women’s capabilities, redistribute care responsibilities, create fair opportunities and, most importantly, are prepared to share decision-making power.”

Bihan translates the Rise & Lead advocacy agenda into a relatable human story, connecting questions of women’s leadership with everyday realities at home, at work and within institutions. Through popular storytelling, the film seeks to spark wider conversation about what needs to change for women not only to aspire to leadership, but to exercise it.

As the story unfolds, both women begin to confront the barriers—internal and external—that have shaped their choices. Their journeys reflect the film’s central idea: leadership can begin with recognising one’s own agency and finding the confidence to act on it.

The film has been developed under the supervision of Md Sariful Islam, with Shawon Koiri as writer. The wider cast includes Bappy Ashraf, Nazmul Hasan, Aadnan Chowdhury, Prionmoyi Prio and Sayan Rahman. The production was undertaken by BoxOffice, with cinematography by Sahil Rony and Hridoy Sarkar. The film will be released on Oxfam's social media platforms in Bangladesh on 14 August at 8:00 PM.  Dhaka Tribune is the media partner of this film.

The film will be released on Oxfam in Bangladesh's social media platforms on 14 August at 8:00 PM.